Better Days
by DiBye
Summary: Neither one could foresee what might happen between them. But that didn’t matter because he was looking at her and she was looking at him; the rest of the world would just have to deal with it. ONESHOT / Johnny and Maxie


_Authors Note: _This was my attempt at a story that takes place after Lulu sees Maxie and Johnny hug in front of the hospital.

**Better Days**

The first time Johnny had wrapped his arms around Maxie, it had only lasted for a single breath. She was grateful and brimming with relief. It was only moments after Spinelli had returned from his mission of revenge; on Maxie's behalf of course. Johnny had saved Spinelli's life that evening, and to Maxie this meant that he was strong and brave in a way that no one else could come close to matching. The pure surge of sincerity that she elicited with arms wound around him left Johnny reeling. Ever since then he'd been careful to keep his distance when it came to Maxie.

But no amount of distance could get in the way of snow, sleet and wind. A storm crashed into Port Charles and with it, the unhinging of Johnny's very world. He'd found her lying in the cold, unconscious and beautiful. When he'd reached down to take her in his arms, a rush of fear had sliced through him. She looked so damn breakable that he was afraid to touch her. Usually Maxie was full of words and attitude, hands flying and shoes clicking. She almost never stayed still long enough for someone to really look at her. Maybe she was afraid of what they'd see. But now she was still, she was so sickeningly still that the browned eyes boy's world felt slightly off balance.

Later on that night she'd returned to her normal, fidgety self. Eyes flashing with mischief and a hint of something more. And as they kissed furiously, his hands found their way around her yet again. Her skin felt like fire and his hands fluttered over the smooth landscape like a moth. He wasn't ready to feel this much, not with her. And when they finally did break apart, it was as if all of the air had been sucked from the room. It was as if he needed to teach himself how to breath with out her.

He'd found her that night, time and time again. In the snow and through the fire; Johnny had found Maxie. He let the roar of the flames distract dangerous thoughts from entering his mind. It didn't matter if his first instinct was always to go after her. It didn't matter that her voice sounded like a heartbeat, his heartbeat. And it certainly didn't matter that she looked damn near perfect with soot smeared across her pert little nose. None of it should have mattered because, Johnny had a girlfriend.

Except, it did matter. Johnny hated that Maxie mattered to him but she did. She was broken beyond repair and her sharp remains were so threatening that it hurt him just to look at her sometimes. But he would keep on looking, because she was the kind of pain he couldn't get enough of. When her nails would dig into his arm as they stomped through the ash of the fire, he felt undone in the best way possible. He wished that the crescent shaped marks would stay embedded in his skin forever; a subtle reminder of her touch.

"Am I hallucinating or is this fresh air?" The wispy tone of her smoke filled voice captured his attention. The cool air hit their overheated bodies like a brick; fast and hard. But her gentle hold on him supplied him with enough consistency to breath easily.

"You bet your sweet ass it is. Thank God." He responded, a smile fighting at his lips. Before anything else could be said, she was reaching for him and he was reaching for her. He held onto her for more than a breath this time. His nose pressed into her hair, the smell of shampoo still viable beneath the smoke.

"Johnny." She murmured the name like a prayer, against the thick material of his coat. His grasp on her tightened and she sunk further into his warmth. It wasn't until then that they realized the magnitude of what they had endured through out the night. They'd listened and watched, they'd understood with out judgment; they had fallen into a dark hole and neither one was anxious to climb out. Because it wasn't the sort of hole that felt like a trap or a punishment. It was an endless tunnel that had the potential to lead to worlds they'd never imagined.

"I told you I'd take care of you tonight." He whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against the soft skin briefly.

"No you didn't." She replied, pulling back and ending the embrace.

"Well, I meant to tell you that." He teased, his hand loosely holding her own.

"It probably wouldn't have given me much piece of mind anyway. I'm more of a 'see it to believe it' kind of girl." She admitted, shrugging lightly. Her fingers toyed with his and his smile grew. "And for the record, my ability to believe in you has gone way up tonight."

"Glad to here it Jones. I would hate to think I risked my ass for nothing." Their quiet banter continued on for a few minutes as a curious set of eyes watched on. In the distance Lulu Spencer had paid witness to their more than friendly embrace and secret smiles. The unfamiliar sight had rendered her frozen in place.

It wasn't that Lulu was selfish enough to go off on Johnny for saving a woman other than herself. It wasn't even that she was jealous of the meaningful looks that passed between the smoke covered duo. It was Maxie. Of all the girls that Johnny could have played hero to, Maxie just had to be the one he'd put on a cape for. The rivalry between the young blondes ran deeper than men and fashion. Real betrayal and family loyalty stood in the way of them ever really forming a friendship.

Blonde, beautiful, and stubborn; their list of similarities ended there. The girls had been raised in the same town and they knew the same people. But somewhere along the way they'd taken different paths. Lulu had opted to try her hand at being the girl next door, with a twist. She was sweet and innocent when the part called for it and annoyingly selfish when she thought no one was looking. But Maxie Jones was always looking. Maxie had a sharp eye and a biting tongue. She saw the pieces of people that they did their best to keep hidden. And she knew exactly where to look for those pieces because she herself was an expert at hiding.

Maxie had a tendency to drag people into a corner and force them to all but admit their faults. And it wasn't just other people's faults that she liked to broadcast. Maxie was more than willing to lay her own flaws out for the whole world to see. While Lulu was scared of revealing the worst aspects of herself, Maxie took power from it. With every jaw dropping detail of her bitchy escapades the blonde temptress felt more and more empowered. People could say anything they wanted about her because chances were, she'd said worst about herself.

It was in this struggle of truths and facades that Lulu and Maxie really butted heads. The confidence Maxie gained from her brutally honest voice only proved to add to Lulu's insecurities. And then there was that whole boyfriend stealing thing of course. Maxie had the power to snag just about any guy she wanted if she tried hard enough. Her motto was, 'you can take anything if you want it bad enough'. And this was Lulu's greatest fear; that Maxie would one day decide she really did want Johnny. Then he would be gone.

"Hey! I'm so glad you guys made it out okay." Lulu exclaimed making her way towards the pair. They snapped their heads in her direction, startled by her presence. "I was worried about you… both of you." She continued, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, yeah we're okay." Johnny replied, doing his best to smile as well. Lulu almost went in for a hug but decided against it, fearing an awkward letdown.

"I heard that you went in the building and for a second I thought that, you know, you were going in after me." She laughed nervously, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. But failing miserable of course.

"Lulu…" Johnny began.

"You know, it was my fault. I ran off with out thinking, big surprise there right? Johnny was just trying to save Mac from having to hit up the morgue twice in less than two years." Maxie rambled expertly. She was the master of spinning words and creating illusions. People only saw what she wanted them to see. And she sure as hell didn't want Lulu to see that she was falling for Johnny.

"You were trying to help out Spinelli." Johnny quietly defended her.

"It was stupid."

"I'll second that motion." Lulu spoke up, breaking the seemingly impenetrable bond between the two. "I mean, what'd you think you were gonna do Maxie? Swoop in and carry Spinelli to safety?"

"If I had to." Maxie replied stubbornly.

"All you did was risk your life and Johnny's." Lulu began to let her frustrations loose. It was one thing to see Maxie and Johnny share a private moment from afar. That she could chalk up to needing some glasses. But when they looked at each other like nothing else mattered, like she didn't matter, that was too much.

"Lulu…" Johnny began.

"Hey! I never asked your stupid boyfriend to come rescue me!" Came the blue eyed blonde's defensive reply.

"What, I was just supposed to leave you in there?" Johnny chimed in, his own frustration with the situation spilling over.

"Yes!" Both girls exclaimed at once. He looked between them; first at the girl who had given him hope for a different future and then to the girl who made him feel at ease in his own skin.

"Well sorry but, I just couldn't do that. I couldn't…" He trailed off and looked away.

Most guys would kill to be smack dab in the center of two hot girls. Johnny would kill just to be away from it all.

"Since when do you care that much, since when does Maxie matter to you that way?" Lulu questioned him, tears threatening to spill over her red cheeks. Maxie looked down, biting her lip.

"We're friends Lulu." Maxie whispered, beating Johnny to the punch. She made sure to answer before he could, afraid of what would happen when his words made their way to the surface. She didn't know what she would do if he denied caring about her in any way more than friendship. The thought alone made her cold inside. At the same time, the thought of him admitting his feelings for her was equally terrifying.

"Johnny didn't run into the building after Spinelli, and they're friends. So what the hell makes Maxie different. Huh Johnny?" The youngest Spencer raised her voice, a glint of hope still present in her eyes.

"This isn't the time or place to have this discussion Lulu." He ground out.

"Just tell me."

"There's nothing to tell!"

"Damn it Johnny, say it!" She cried out. All she needed was for him to say that Maxie meant nothing. Saving her had meant nothing.

"Fine! I have feelings for Maxie. Is that what you wanted to hear? When I heard that she was in that building, I couldn't breath. I felt like the ground had dropped out from under me and I was drowning. I had to find her Lulu… I had to." He yelled.

"Oh crap." Maxie muttered, looking at Johnny in awe. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that he would do something like that. And by the look on his face, he too was in shock.

"Lulu…" He whispered, reaching out to take her hand. She shook it off quickly and stepped back. She waited for him to say something, anything to fix what he had just broken. But he couldn't. He was comfortable living in a broken world, Lulu wasn't. In a way that fact alone had loomed over them like a shadow from the very beginning.

"I'm just gonna go." Maxie carefully let out.

"No. You're obviously the one Johnny wants to be with. So you stay, I'll go." And with that she stalked away, blonde hair flying behind her.

"I meant it you know." Johnny finally said, his words were mostly lost in the harsh wind. But Maxie didn't need to hear him to know what he had said.

"I know." She looked up at him with questioning eyes. "What now?" Her voice was full of wonder and a bit of fear. Smiling hesitantly, Johnny reached out a hand. Maxie let her eyes flutter shut before she took a deep breath and plunged into the unknown. Their hands met in the middle and their finger intertwined. Neither one could foresee what might happen between them. But that didn't matter because he was looking at her and she was looking at him; the rest of the world would just have to deal with it.

**END**


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